Intertwining Destinies

Chapter 11

Prince Nuada did not slumber for long. According to him, his war against human kind had already begun and he would not allow himself to sleep more than was necessary. Stretching, he got up from his bed. Even though his body had rested, his mind still pondered the female captive human he would soon be dealing with. Firstly, he needed to discover what variety of powers she might possess.

He pulled on his boots and proceeded into the outer area of his lair. The woman was still out cold. It had disgusted him to have to bring a human to his living quarters, and he decided that if she proved troublesome, he would transfer her to the fearsome dark dungeons that still existed on the outskirts of Bethmoora. These had been constructed by the goblins some thousands of years ago, at the start of the Great War. Their walls and floors had been equipped with surfaces of cruel, jagged barbs, which were intended to afford prisoners the least mobility possible. The jutting spikes would cut and pierce all flesh coming into contact, and indeed most human captives did bleed themselves out as their only way of escape. Nuada's eyes glittered with his dark memories, and then fell with scowling clarity on the tattered mat covering the woman.

He went to look for Wink and found him in the adjoining chamber, hovering over a large cooking pot as he prepared a breakfast.

"Mr. Wink, I need you to fetch me some things from the market," Nuada informed. Wink turned to him to listen and nodded. Nuada leaned over the scrubbed wooden table and began to write out a long list. When he had finished, he handed it to Wink. "I need all of these," he said." If you cannot find some of the items here, feel free to travel to the black markets in the city of New Orleans. I need your arm to be mended as early as possible".

"Thank you, my Prince." Wink nodded and bowed, but stood there looking as if he had something more to say. He wondered if he dared ask his prince to show mercy to the woman.

Nuada impatiently thrust a large sack into Wink's uninjured hand and ushered him to abandon his activity at the stove. This errand, he thought, would keep the troll out of his way for at least two days. He wished to interrogate his captive in private.

After Wink had left, Nuada rummaged around a trunk in his chambers. He came out of his chambers holding a long length of a thin silvery cord and used it to tie the woman's hands. All this done, he seated himself comfortably on a chair and waited. Within the hour, the woman stirred. Slowly, her eyes opened a fraction, and Nuada saw the strange gleam of green under her lids. She blinked several times to adjust to the darkness and tried to move her arms, but quickly realised that they were tied to her front. With difficulty, she pulled herself up to a sitting position and looked around the chamber until her eyes fell on the known figure seated cross-legged on a chair. A startled cry escaped her lips.

Nuada smiled, his eyes glinting with malice. "Hello, human," he said very smoothly. "Welcome to my den".

If one was unfamiliar with Prince Nuada, one would take it as a genuine warm greeting, but Emerald, unfortunately, knew better. She was struck by his topaz eyes glaring through the dark lining of his lids, and his black lips curled in a menacing smile. He frightened her, but she tried to calm herself. Appearing weak would only cause him to attack her sooner. Looking about her, she tried to figure out where she was being held. It had the look of an underground cave, and the only source of light was a small fire in a grate at the far side of the wall behind the prince. She heard a familiar lurching and grating sound like that of a train running, and her location became apparent to her.

"Am I in the subway?" she asked warily. Nuada's smile tightened, but he nodded. She slowly got to her feet and took a few small steps. Apart from her hands being bound to her front and the soreness in her body from lying on a cold stone floor, she sensed that she was unharmed.